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Marshall AG, Neikirk K, Stephens D, Garza-Lopez E, Vue Z, Beasley HK, Janumyan Doe Y, Campbell D, Fears L, Alghanem A, Spencer EC, Scudese E, Owens B, Vang C, Morton DJ, Conley Z, Hinton A. A workshop on mitochondria for students to improve understanding of science and hypothesis forming. Adv Physiol Educ 2023; 47:823-830. [PMID: 37650143 PMCID: PMC10854815 DOI: 10.1152/advan.00116.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
There remains a clear deficiency in recruiting middle school students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine fields, especially for those students entering physiology from underrepresented backgrounds. A large part of this may be arising from a disconnect between how science is typically practiced at a collegiate and K-12 level. Here, we have envisioned mitochondria and their diverse subcellular structures as an involver for middle school students. We present the framework for a workshop that familiarizes students with mitochondria, employing three-dimensional visual-spatial learning and real-time critical thinking and hypothesis forming. This workshop had the goal of familiarizing middle school students with the unique challenges the field currently faces and better understanding the actuality of being a scientist through critical analysis including hypothesis forming. Findings show that middle school students responded positively to the program and felt as though they had a better understanding of mitochondria. Future implications for hands-on programs to involve underrepresented students in science are discussed, as well as potential considerations to adapt it for high school and undergraduate students.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here we employ a workshop that utilizes blended and tactile learning to teach middle schoolers about mitochondrial structure. By creating an approachable and fun workshop that can be utilized for middle school students, we seek to encourage them to join a career in physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea G Marshall
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Kit Neikirk
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Dominique Stephens
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Edgar Garza-Lopez
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
| | - Zer Vue
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Heather K Beasley
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Yelena Janumyan Doe
- Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach, Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Desmond Campbell
- Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach, Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Letimicia Fears
- Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach, Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Ahmad Alghanem
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Elsie C Spencer
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
- Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States
| | - Estevão Scudese
- Laboratory of Biosciences of Human Motricity (LABIMH) of the Federal University of State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Sport Sciences and Exercise Laboratory (LaCEE), Catholic University of Petrópolis (UCP), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Beverly Owens
- Department of Chemistry, Cleveland Early College High School, Shelby, North Carolina, United States
| | - Chia Vang
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
- Counseling Department, New Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States
| | - Derrick J Morton
- Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Science, Pasadena, California, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
| | - Zachary Conley
- Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach, Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
| | - Antentor Hinton
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
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